Teenage Suicide in Death by Landscape Essay - 756 Words

Teenage Suicide in Death by Landscape Margaret Atwood is the Canadian author of Death by Landscape which is a short story pulled from her novel, Wilderness Tips. This story highlights a huge problem in todays society, teenage suicide. Wilderness Tips was published in 1991, which is during the time of suicide clusters in the teenage population. These so called clusters began in the late 80s. Some experts indicate that suicide has always been a problem but was never seriously acknowledged until the late 1980s. Ms. Atwood incorporated this real life epidemic in her short story. Margaret Atwood is known for her effort to discuss real life matters in her writings. She believes that expressing oneself is not the goal to†¦show more content†¦One major sign of a suicidal teen is a change in habits (Suicide 1). Each summer that Lucy returns to camp she has a new hobby. Lois thinks of these changes exciting but in reality, Lucy cannot find anything to make her happy. Another indicator of suicide is more or less sl eeping (Schleiter 42). Lois comments on the fact that Lucy is harder to wake up in the mornings. She is also quieter and more pensive. Another indicator is a high stress level; teens who commit suicide are often overwhelmed by stress from the beginning. A trigger event then becomes the final catalyst (Frankel 34). In Lucys case this trigger event could very well be the divorce of her parents. Lucy says she does not like her new stepfather and her father has also remarried. She mentions running away from home. Another possible trigger is the move away from home. Research shows that depression seems to mark teens who have recently moved away. They are more or less uprooted from the place where they have grown up and started their own lives. There are myths surrounding suicide, such as, people take their own lives on gloomy days (Frankel 38). In reality, people suffering from depression feel worse on sunny days because the people around them seem to be more cheerful. Lucy jumps of the cliff on a beautiful summer day. She is on the much anticipated canoe trip but none of that seems to matter. Another myth is when people mention suicide it is for attention (Frankel 38). LucyShow MoreRelatedTeenagers and Drug Abuse Essay1613 Words   |  7 PagesIt has been discovered that most people who struggle with drug addiction began experimenting with drugs in their teens. Teenage drug abuse is one of the largest problems in society today and the problem grows and larger every year. Drugs are a pervasive force in our culture today. To expect kids not to be influenced by the culture of their time is as unrealistic as believing in the tooth fairy (Bauman 140). 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